Srinagar, June 15 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of Hurriyat Forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) have welcomed the first ever UN report on human rights violations in Kashmir.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a twitter massage said that the first ever UN report on human rights violations in Kashmir was recognition of the grave abuses being perpetrated by the Indian forces’ personnel in the occupied territory for the past 30 years in particular. He said that calling for inquiry into them was long overdue.

The Mirwaiz also extended Eidul Fitr greetings to the Muslims across the world. He said, as far as celebrating Eidul Fitr in occupied Kashmir was concerned, people would, this year too, pray that their innumerable sacrifices do not go waste and resolve to carry forward the resistance struggle until their just struggle reaches its logical conclusion. He also paid tributes to illegally detained Kashmiris including Hurriyat leaders and activists for their resolve and steadfastness towards the resistance movement, and prayed for their good health.

The Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society and Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons welcoming the report in a joint statement said this document affirms that Jammu and Kashmir requires special attention and is a signal to governments that the United Nations is closely monitoring the everyday violence and the role of the parties to the dispute. “It is also an affirmation of the documentation work done for decades. Following the early UN Security Council resolutions, this report has deep symbolic value following years of silence by the United Nations,” they added.

The statement said that the call for a Commission of Inquiry – an international independent inquiry – was in keeping with past demands by JKCCS and APDP, in light of the unwillingness of Government of India to allow for functioning of any processes of justice and fair and proper investigations. “In addition, past offers of international assistance (European Parliament in 2008 for the investigation of unmarked and mass graves) have been rejected. It is imperative that a Commission of Inquiry be instituted to: a) record the violence, b) document the role of State institutions, including the judiciary, in systemic denial of justice, and, c) ascertain State and individual responsibility as per international human rights, international criminal, and international humanitarian law,” it added.

The JKCCS and APDP emphasized that this report must serve as a beginning of continued and sustained OHCHR attention on Jammu and Kashmir.